In a country seemingly caught in post-election turmoil, we were heartened by a visit to The Daily News on Thursday from U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, who toured a Greenville manufacturing facility earlier that day.

Peters, a Democrat from Oakland County, was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2014. He serves on the Commerce, Science & Transportation Committee; the Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee; the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Committee; and the Joint Economic Committee.

The longest election season of our lifetime will finally come to an end one week from today.

Despite the endless October surprises — Trump’s vulgarity! Clinton’s emails! Ken Bone winning the second presidential debate and popularizing red cardigans and rimmed glasses again! — voters still seem determined to head to the polls next Tuesday, possibly in record numbers.

I’ve watched all the debates, followed all the news and I have talked to thousands of voters in my capacity as a candidate for state representative. What I have learned is this election is really about putting America first.

This year’s election season has felt like an eternity, but the general election is just one month away.

Are you registered to vote? You have until Oct. 11 to do so, either by visiting your city or township clerk’s office, your county clerk’s office, a Michigan Secretary of State branch or at michigan.gov online.

Today would have been my dad’s 79th birthday. And while he’s not here to enjoy all the things like cards and presents and my mom’s homemade cheesecake to mark his special day, he is still very much celebrated.

Often I find myself sitting in front of my computer at the paper trying to channel him, looking for guidance on a particular decision or wondering what he would do if he was walking in my shoes on any given day. Mostly I wonder what he would think about the way the world has changed today — particularly the world of news. And what he would want me to do in response to those changes.

How do you sit in front of a roomful of constituents and employees detailing a plan that will cut $1.7 million from the county budget and the equivalent of 22.5 full-time positions without shouldering any of the burden?

This is our question to the nine elected officials who comprise the Montcalm County Board of Commissioners.